Using Our Draft Kit to Win Your Yahoo Fantasy Football League

Knowing your draft lobby inside and out can help you dominate your draft. Here's how to do it on Yahoo.

Nobody likes to admit it -- at least I don't -- but luck is a big part of fantasy football.

You can get lucky or unlucky with your draft slot. You can get unlucky if your players get hurt. A fingertip deflection or two can alter your entire fantasy football season. You need a number of things to go right every week, and being prepared for everything is a good start.

One overlooked area of your fantasy season is the draft. Not the strategy and preparation itself of course. I'm talking about knowing your league lobby. Maybe you're primarily an ESPN player and you know the intricacies of their lobby well by now. Maybe your friend's buddy needs another guy in his Yahoo league, and you agree because there's no such thing as too many leagues, even though you barely know Mark.

Well, you can get a rude awakening if you haven't studied the Yahoo lobby (or whichever new site you're joining). I'm here to help you defeat Mark and his pals.

Fundamental Principles

2. Quarterbacks are generally undervalued on Yahoo's list. Compared to our rankings, quarterbacks can be had later than they should be.

3. It's a balanced app. Like it was last year, the app is pretty much in line with ours in terms of the number of receivers and running backs inside the top 25, top 50, and top 100.

4. But we disagree on individual players. That's the real key, and that's where we'll try to scrounge up the most value.

5. You have just six bench spots. That means you have a 15-man roster rather than 16 on ESPN. That means you can't stash players as easily, but it also means the waiver wire will be a little more forgiving, provided your commissioner doesn't change the bench size.

Overvalued Yahoo Players According to Our Projections

So, I wasn't really being coy when I said that we disagree on individual players. There are 24 players inside Yahoo's top 100 alone that we think are listed at least 16 spots too soon, once you factor in position scarcity, roster settings, and scoring settings.

Player

Position

Yahoo Draft App

numberFire Rank

Difference

Tyrell Williams

WR

80

141

-61

LeGarrette Blount

RB

59

113

-54

Adrian Peterson

RB

68

115

-47

Samaje Perine

RB

83

129

-46

Jimmy Graham

TE

58

102

-44

Derrick Henry

RB

93

137

-44

Mike Gillislee

RB

32

73

-41

Travis Kelce

TE

33

66

-33

Martavis Bryant

WR

48

80

-32

Jameis Winston

QB

71

97

-26

Doug Martin

RB

87

110

-23

Joe Mixon

RB

28

50

-22

Marcus Mariota

QB

63

85

-22

Tyreek Hill

WR

42

63

-21

Jordan Reed

TE

50

70

-20

Leonard Fournette

RB

17

35

-18

Marshawn Lynch

RB

34

52

-18

Davante Adams

WR

44

62

-18

Delanie Walker

TE

78

96

-18

Eddie Lacy

RB

51

68

-17

Dalvin Cook

RB

57

74

-17

Demaryius Thomas

WR

29

45

-16

Martellus Bennett

TE

92

108

-16

I probably love Tyrell Williams more than the next guy, but listing him 80th is pretty bold, even with the injury to Mike Williams. The Los Angeles Chargers have a bunch of pass catchers to contend with, and he's our biggest "overvalued" player inside Yahoo's top 100.

Mike Gillislee at 32 is pretty spicy, as he's ahead of Travis Kelce, both of whom our algorithms value at least 40 slots lower than they're found in the Yahoo app.

Five tight ends make this list, and it's not just because we think the position is totally overvalued. Yahoo does have 10 tight ends in their top 100 and we have just 6, but there are plenty of undervalued tight ends, according to our projections.

Undervalued Yahoo Players According to Our Projections

By comparison, these players are undervalued by at least a full round (12 picks) and are still inside Yahoo's top 100.

Player

Position

Yahoo Draft App

numberFire Rank

Difference

Matt Ryan

QB

67

23

44

Stefon Diggs

WR

100

64

36

Golden Tate

WR

74

40

34

Cam Newton

QB

77

49

28

Eric Decker

WR

91

65

26

Kirk Cousins

QB

85

61

24

Jarvis Landry

WR

60

37

23

Russell Wilson

QB

65

42

23

Kelvin Benjamin

WR

82

59

23

Jeremy Maclin

WR

99

77

22

Larry Fitzgerald

WR

64

43

21

Drew Brees

QB

41

22

19

Tyler Eifert

TE

86

67

19

Aaron Rodgers

QB

30

12

18

Spencer Ware

RB

49

31

18

Ameer Abdullah

RB

66

48

18

Frank Gore

RB

72

55

17

Tom Brady

QB

35

21

14

Michael Crabtree

WR

45

32

13

That's a lengthy list for sure. Seven big-name passers are undervalued by at least a round, per our algorithms, and even if you don't want to spend an early pick on them, you can probably get them later than you should be able to if your league drafts in line with the app.

Some veteran wideouts make the list, too, most notably guys who tend to have more value in PPR leagues (Golden Tate and Jarvis Landry, for example).

Speaking of receivers, pretty much every player inside our top 100 whom we rank at least 20 spots ahead of their Yahoo rank is a wideout.

Player

Position

Yahoo Draft App

numberFire Rank

Difference

Robby Anderson

WR

190

100

90

Matt Ryan

QB

67

23

44

Rishard Matthews

WR

124

82

42

Rob Kelley

RB

129

90

39

Stefon Diggs

WR

100

64

36

Randall Cobb

WR

107

72

35

Golden Tate

WR

74

40

34

Jordan Matthews

WR

117

83

34

Kenny Britt

WR

105

75

30

Cam Newton

QB

77

49

28

Eric Decker

WR

91

65

26

Kirk Cousins

QB

85

61

24

Jarvis Landry

WR

60

37

23

Russell Wilson

QB

65

42

23

Kelvin Benjamin

WR

82

59

23

Jeremy Maclin

WR

99

77

22

Corey Davis

WR

120

98

22

Larry Fitzgerald

WR

64

43

21

Mike Wallace

WR

116

95

21

Sure, a lot of names were on the last list, too, but there really are big difference between our individual ranks and Yahoo's, despite being mostly on the same page with how to value certain positions in your draft.

The same can be said for Shane Vereen, who is listed 303rd on Yahoo. He's our 253rd-ranked player in this format and is healthy after a torn triceps last year. He really only needs to steal receiving work from Paul Perkins to pay off that tag and could wind up a lead back if Perkins can't take over that role successfully.